Wall for the booth of a coating plant

ABSTRACT

A wall for the booth of a coating plant is formed in the conventional manner by a sectional frame ( 3 ) composed of at least two vertical, hollow posts ( 4, 5 ) and at least two horizontal, hollow crosspieces ( 6, 7, 8, 9 ). At least one zone ( 10, 11, 12 ) which is bounded by two posts ( 4, 5 ) and two crosspieces ( 6, 7, 8, 9 ) is covered by a plate ( 34, 35 ). The corresponding plate ( 34, 35 ) is secured over the associated zone ( 10, 11, 12 ) of the frame ( 3 ) with the aid of “local” blocking devices ( 15  to  27 ) separated from one another spatially. Each of these blocking devices ( 15  to  27 ) comprises at least one retaining portion ( 31   b   , 31   c ) which can be inserted in a corresponding locating opening ( 28   a,    28   b,    29   a,    29   b ) in the associated post ( 4, 5 ) or crosspiece ( 6, 7, 8, 9 ) such that a contact portion ( 31   a ) of the blocking device ( 15  to  27 ) lies against the outside of the associated post ( 4, 5 ) or crosspiece ( 6, 7, 8, 9 ). The plates ( 34, 35 ) are supported “locally” at these contact portions ( 31   a ) and are held in place in the lateral direction by a sectional frame ( 38 ) secured in a removable manner to the corresponding post ( 4, 5 ) or crosspiece ( 6, 7, 8, 9 ).

The invention relates to a wall for the booth of a coating plant,comprising

a) a frame consisting of at least two hollow vertical posts and at leasttwo hollow horizontal crosspieces;

b) at least one plate, which covers a zone spanned by the posts and thecrosspieces;

c) a securing device for each plate by means of which the plate issecured in a removable manner to the posts and crosspieces bounding thecorresponding zone.

Walls of this kind may be composed of individual wall elements whicheach comprise two vertical posts and a plurality of horizontalcrosspieces.

EP 0 647 476 A1 presents a wall of the type initially mentioned. In thiscase the securing device comprises a sectional strip, which is securedby screws to the adjacent section (crosspiece or post), at each sidewhich bounds a zone. This sectional strip extends over the entire lengthof the zone and is provided with an undercut which cooperates with thebevelled edge of the plate. The arrangement is such that the sectionalstrip simultaneously serves as a positioning stop for the plate and as adevice which holds the plate in place at the section. However thebevelling of the plate edges required for this is a very complexprocess; it is also complicated to form the sectional strips and securethem to the crosspieces and posts.

The object of the invention is to form a wall of the type initiallymentioned such that the securing device for the plates has a simplestructure and can easily be fixed to the associated posts andcrosspieces.

This object is achieved according to the invention in that the securingdevice comprises:

d) a plurality of spaced blocking devices which each have at least oneretaining portion and one contact portion;

e) a locating opening in a post or crosspiece for each retaining portionof each blocking device,

wherein

f) each retaining portion of each blocking device is introduced in aremovable manner into a corresponding locating opening such that thecontact portion lies against the outside of the associated post orcrosspiece.

The invention therefore departs from the principle of supporting theedges of the plate which is to be secured in a zone over their entirelength to achieve correct positioning. Instead the invention employs aplurality of discrete, “local” blocking devices which each only extendover a relatively short distance along the edge of the correspondingplate. Each of these blocking devices can quite easily be secured to theassociated post or crosspiece by establishing a positive engagement,which holds the blocking device in place, by means of its retainingportion and the corresponding locating opening in the post orcrosspiece. A plate is thus mounted on the frame formed by the posts andcrossbars in the following manner: A suitable number of blocking devicesare firstly inserted in the corresponding locating openings in the postsand crosspieces around each zone. The number of blocking devices isdetermined by the dimensions of the zone. The plate can then easily beset from the side between the different contact portions of the blockingdevices, optionally with distance blocks being interposed; the plate isas a result correctly positioned inside the frame, but can still bemoved towards the side. In order to take this last degree of freedomaway from the plate, a corresponding sectional strip is placed over theedge region of the plate from the outside and suitably secured to thepost or crosspiece.

Preference is generally given here to the formation in which eachcrosspiece which bounds the underside of a zone has two blocking deviceswhich are associated with this zone, while the posts and crosspieceswhich bound this zone at the other three sides have just one blockingdevice in this region. This construction mode takes account of the factthat only the crosspiece which bounds the zone at the underside isloaded by the weight of the plate in the normal mounting position, whilethe blocking devices at the other three sides simply serve, unaffectedby forces, to position the plate with respect to the zone. However thearrangement is still so stable that, if individual wall segments arepre-mounted, these may also be transported “flat” such that the posts,which normally stand vertically, lie horizontally.

The securing device according to the invention becomes particularlysimple if each blocking device comprises a plane fixing sheet having asretaining portion at least one retaining lug which extends flatly andcan be introduced into a locating opening formed as a slit-like oblonghole. A fixing sheet of this kind can be inexpensively produced as astamped part or by numerically controlled laser cutting.

It is also expedient for each fixing sheet to have two spaced retaininglugs. The load is thus evenly distributed over the two retaining lugswithout any significant torque acting on one of these retaining lugs,especially where relatively long fixing sheets and relatively heavyplates are concerned.

Preference is in turn given in this respect to the embodiment of theinvention in which a slit extends from the side into each retaining lugsuch that, through the corresponding fixing sheet executing a lateralmovement with respect to the vertical leg of the associated post orcrosspiece, this sheet can be locked to the latter. Following thislocking movement, a part of the retaining lug is located behind thematerial of the vertical leg of the corresponding post or crosspiece, sothat the retaining lug can no longer be removed from the locatingopening by pulling it perpendicularly to this leg.

If in this case the slit tapers in the shape of a wedge in the directionof its end lying inside the retaining lug, the fixing sheet can becorrectly wedged in the leg of the corresponding post or crosspiece, forexample by displacing the fixing sheet through blows from the side witha hammer until the material of the leg becomes wedged in the slit.

An embodiment of the invention is illustrated in detail in the followingon the basis of the drawings, in which

FIG. 1 is a diagrammatic, internal side view of a sectional frame whichis part of the wall of a booth of a coating plant;

FIG. 2 is a scaled-up side view of a fixing sheet which is used tosecure plates to the sectional frame of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a scaled-up section through a crosspiece of the sectionalframe of FIG. 1 with plates secured to this;

FIG. 4 is an external side view of the vertical leg of a crosspiecewhich is part of the sectional frame illustrated in FIG. 1.

FIG. 1 shows an “unclad”wall element 1, which forms the wall of thebooth of a coating plant, optionally with further identical wallelements adjoining on the left and the right.

The wall element 1 comprises, in a manner known per se, a sectionalframe 3, which is spanned by two lateral vertical posts 4, 5 and, in theillustrated embodiment, four horizontal crossbars 6, 7, 8, 9. The zones10, 11, 12 bounded by the posts 4, 5 and the crosspieces 6, 7, 8, 9 areclosed by plates, these not being shown in FIG. 1, which are secured tothe frame 3 as explained in detail in the following.

Both the vertically extending posts 4, 5 and the horizontal crosspieces6, 7, 8, 9 of the sectional frame 3 consist of bent steel sheet, thestructural shape of which can be seen in FIG. 3. This is a section whosebasic geometric shape is a rectangle which, however, is not completelyclosed. The vertically extending sectional leg 13, to which the plate(s)of the adjacent zone or adjacent zones is or are secured, extendscompletely along the corresponding side of the rectangle, in the sameway as one of the two legs which adjoins it, this being the lower leg 14in FIG. 3. However the sectional leg 15, which adjoins the sectional leg14 at a right angle and again extends upwards in FIG. 3, only extendsover a part of the corresponding side of the rectangle, just like thesectional leg 16 adjoining the sectional leg 13 at a right angle at thetop. A slit-shaped access opening to the interior of the section, inwhich certain fixtures and fittings not of particular interest here canbe accommodated, thus remains between the free edges of the sectionallegs 15 and 16.

The above-mentioned slit-shaped access opening is closed by a removablecover 30. The precise shape of the section of which the different posts4, 5 and crosspieces 6, 7, 8, 9 consist is irrelevant in thisconnection; the important factor is that these are hollow sectionswhich, contrary to the illustrated embodiment, may also be closedsections, e.g. extruded sections.

In order to secure the respective plates covering the zones 10, 11, 12of the frame 3 of FIG. 1, the posts 4, 5 and the crosspieces 6, 7, 8, 9are provided with “local” blocking devices 15 to 27 at the points markedsymbolically with circles in FIG. 1. In this case a “local” blockingdevice is understood to mean a device which does not extend like aclosed frame around a zone 10, 11, 12 of the sectional frame 3 and inthis sense is “local”. A typical extent of a “local” blocking device ofthis kind parallel to the direction of the corresponding post 4, 5 orcrosspiece 6, 7, 8, 9 may lie in the range between 10 and 30 cm,preferably being approximately 25 cm. Here a “blocking” device isunderstood to mean each device at which the plates to be secured in thezones 10, 11, 12 can be supported in the lateral direction in order thusto find their correct position with respect to the elements of the frame3. The plates can therefore be “set” from the side in these “blocking”devices 15 to 27 and then only require a “hold” on the side pointingoutwards to prevent them falling out. This “hold” is explained in detailin the following with reference to FIGS. 2 to 4.

The symbolism which was used for the blocking devices 15 to 27illustrated in FIG. 1 is intended to indicate the direction in which thecorresponding blocking device acts. This “direction of action” ischaracterised in the respective circle which symbolises the blockingdevice by marking a corresponding circular segment black. For example,it can be deduced from FIG. 1 that the blocking devices 15, 16, 17, 18,19 “act” in the direction of the zone 10. The blocking device 19additionally acts in the direction of the zone 11. The plate which is tobe secured in the zone 11 is therefore also supported by the blockingdevice 19 and, in addition to this, by the blocking devices 20, 21, 22and 24. The blocking device 24 in turn additionally acts in thedirection of the zone 12, with which the blocking devices 23, 25, 26 and27 are also associated. The arrangement is such that each plate which isto be secured in a zone 10, 11, 12 is supported at its lower edge by tworespective blocking devices 15, 16 or 19, 20 or 23, 24, while its otherthree sides are each retained just by one blocking device. This type of“blocking” is sufficient for all positions which the wall element maytake up between production in the factory and mounting in situ: The wallelement is generally produced in a flat position in the factory; it istransported from the factory to the mounting site with the posts 4, 5 ofthe wall element 1 horizontal, although the plane spanned by thesectional frame 3 is approximately vertical. The wall element 1 isfinally erected in situ in the manner shown in FIG. 1, in which theposts 4, 5 extend vertically. As regards the type of blocking shown inFIG. 1, it is obvious that each plate is adequately fixed in thesectional frame 3 in all these possible positions.

FIGS. 2 to 4 show the exact structure of the blocking device 19 of FIG.1.

FIG. 4 shows a detail of the vertically extending leg 13 of thecrosspiece 7 in the region of the blocking device 19 of FIG. 1. A firstslit-shaped pair of oblong holes 28 a, 28 b is made in the lower regionof this leg 13, the individual slit-like oblong holes 28 a, 28 b beingaligned with one another and their longitudinal extent running parallelwith the longitudinal extent of the crosspiece 7. A second slit-likepair of oblong holes 29 a, 29 b is similarly provided in the upperregion of the leg 13 of the crosspiece 7.

Each pair of oblong holes 28 a, 28 b and 29 a, 29 b serves to hold afixing sheet as represented in a side view and marked with the referencenumber 31 in FIG. 2. The fixing sheet 31 is a plane sheet blank whichcan be produced by stamping or laser cutting. It comprises astrip-shaped contact portion 31 a, which extends over the entire lengthof the fixing sheet 31, and two rectangular retaining lugs 31 b and 31c, which are shaped at the ends of the contact portion 31 a. The tworetaining lugs 31 b and 31 c are separated from one another by asubstantially rectangular recess 31 d. A wedge-shaped slit 32 extendsfrom the bottom of the recess 31 d, forming a boundary of the contactportion 31 a, into the retaining lug 31 b, although does not passcompletely through this. A second wedge-shaped slit 33 similarly extendsfrom the right-hand end of the fixing sheet 31, in the geometricprojection of the bottom of the recess 31 d, into the right-handretaining lug 31 c, without passing completely through this.

The fixing sheet 31 represented in FIG. 2 can obviously be fixed asfollows in one of the two pairs of oblong holes 28 a, 28 b and 29 a, 29b, respectively: The retaining lugs 31 b and 31 c are firstly introducedinto the two oblong holes 28 a, 28 b or 29 a, 29 b, which form part of apair (the width of the retaining lugs 31 b and 31 c corresponds to thelength of the oblong holes 28 a, 28 b and 29 a, 29 b ; the spacingbetween adjacent paired oblong holes 28 a, 28 b and 29 a, 29 bcorresponds to the width of the recess 31 d of the fixing sheet 31).When the bottom of the recess 31 d of the fixing sheet 31 contacts thesurface of the leg 13, the slits 32, 33 of the fixing sheet 31 arealigned with the sheet 35 material of which the leg 13 of the crosspiece7 consists. The fixing sheet 31 can therefore now be driven to the side,optionally with the aid of a hammer, such that the material region ofthe leg 13 lying between the oblong holes 28 a, 28 b or 29 a, 29 benters the slit 32 and a material region of the leg 13 lying next to theoblong holes 28 b, 29 b accordingly enters the slit 33. Because of thewedge-shaped formation of the slits 32 and 33, the fixing sheet 31 iswedged in the position represented in FIG. 3. In this position theretaining portion 31 a projects outwards beyond the leg 13 of thecrosspiece 7, while the retaining lugs 31 b, 31 c extend into theinterior of the hollow section from which the crosspiece 7 is formed.

As has already been explained, the blocking device 19 represented inFIG. 3 acts in two directions. Therefore, where this blocking device isconcerned, a fixing sheet 31 is inserted both in the upper pair ofoblong holes 29 a, 29 b and in the lower pair of oblong holes 28 a, 28b. The blocking device 24 is also set up in a corresponding manner inthe crosspiece 8 of the sectional frame 3 (cf. FIG. 1).

However just one fixing sheet 31 is used for all the other blockingdevices 16 to 18 and 20 to 23 and 25 to 27, this sheet being introducedinto the pair of oblong holes 28 a, 28 b or 29 a, 29 b which pointstowards the plate to be secured. Generally speaking, it would also bepossible to provide just one pair of oblong holes 28 a, 28 b or 29 a, 29b in the corresponding frame part 4 to 9 for these last mentionedblocking devices 15 to 18 and 20 to 27.

As also shown by FIG. 3, the contact region 31 a of the fixing sheets 31which are introduced into the leg 13 of the crosspiece 7 serves tosupport the plates which are to be secured to the zones 10, 11 adjacentto the crosspiece 7. For illustration purposes it was assumed in FIG. 3that the zone 10 below the crosspiece 7 is covered by a metal plate 34,while the zone 11 located above the crosspiece 7 is covered by a glassplate 35. The edge of these plates 34 and 35, respectively, lies againstthe corresponding contact portion 31 a of the associated fixing sheet 31via a block 36 and 37, respectively, of an appropriate material ratherthan directly.

As already mentioned, after having been inserted between the differentblocking devices, the plates 34 and 35 still require a lateral hold.This is provided in the embodiment of FIG. 3 by a double-actingretaining section 38, which laps over both the metal plate 34 and theglass 35 and is secured to the leg 13 of the crosspiece 7 by means of Tbolts 39 and corresponding nuts 40. The space between the leg 13, theblocks 36 and 37 and the overlapping regions of the retaining section 38is in each case filled with an elastic sealing material 41 such that theadjacent edge regions of the plates 34 and 35 are embedded in thissealing compound 41.

What is claimed is:
 1. Wall for the booth of a coating plant, comprisinga) a frame consisting of at least two hollow vertical posts and at leasttwo hollow horizontal crosspieces; b) at least one plate, which covers azone spanned by the posts and the crosspieces; c) a securing device foreach plate by means of which the plate is secured in a removable mannerto the posts and crosspieces bounding the corresponding zone,characterised in that the securing device comprises: d) a plurality ofspaced blocking devices (15 to 27) which each have at least oneretaining portion (31 d, 31 c) and one contact portion (31 a); e) alocating opening (28 a, 28 b, 29 a, 29 b) in a post (4, 5) or crosspiece(6, 7, 8, 9) for each retaining portion (31 b, 31 c) of a blockingdevice (15 to 27); wherein f) each retaining portion (31 b, 31 c) ofeach blocking device (15 to 27) is introduced in a removable manner intoa corresponding locating opening (28 a, 28 b, 29 a, 29 b) such that thecontact portion (31 a) lies against the outside of the associated post(4, 5) or crosspiece (6, 7, 8, 9), and g) each crosspiece (6, 7, 8)which bounds the underside of a zone (10, 11, 12) has two blockingdevices (15, 16, 19, 20, 23, 24) which are associated with this zone(10, 11, 12), while the posts (4, 5) and crosspieces (7, 8, 9) whichbound this zone (10, 11, 12) at the other three sides have just oneblocking device (17, 18, 21, 22, 25, 26, 27) in this zone.
 2. Wallaccording to claim 1, wherein said locating opening is formed as aslit-like oblong hole, characterised in that each blocking device (15 to27) comprises a plane fixing sheet (31) having as retaining portion atleast one retaining lug (31 b, 31 c) which extends flatly and can beintroduced into the locating opening (28 a, 28 b, 29 a, 29 b).
 3. Wallaccording to claim 2, characterised in that each fixing sheet (31) hastwo spaced retaining lugs (31 b, 31 c).
 4. Wall according to claim 2,characterised in that a slit (32, 33) extends from a side of the fixingsheet (31) into each retaining lug (31 b, 31 c) such that, through thecorresponding fixing sheet (31) executing a lateral movement withrespect to a vertical leg (13) of the associated post (4, 5) orcrosspiece (6, 7, 8, 9), this sheet can be locked to the latter.
 5. Wallaccording to claim 4, characterised in that the slit (32, 33) tapers inthe shape of a wedge in the direction of an end of the slit lying insidethe retaining lug (31 b, 31 c).